Improvement in forms for leather-crimping machines



-J. D. BACON. FORMS FOR LEATHER-CRIMPING MACHINES.

No. 195, 789. Patented Oct.2,l877

N. PETERS, PHOYO-LIIHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C- UNITED STATES PATENT()FFICE.

JAMES D. BACON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TOARTIMAS S. OADY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN FORMS FOR LEATHER-CRIMPING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 195,789, dated October2, 1877; application filed August 15, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES D. BACON, of the city and State of New'York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Forms forCrimping-Machines and GrimpingBreaks, of which the following is adescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, formingpart of this specification.

This invention relates to forms for crimping boot-legs, shoe-vamps, andother parts of boot and shoe uppers. It is applicable not only tocrimping-machines proper, but also to breaks for preparatively crimpingthe leather portions of the boot or shoe which require to be so treated.

In carrying out my invention I use a hollow form having flexible sidesor cheeks; and the invention consists in a combination therewith of afilling for varying the distances apart of its sides; likewise, in acombination, with said hollow yielding form, of an elastic filling orpacking.

The results obtained by said invention are an easier and a more perfectperformance of the work without injury to the leather, and wherebyvarious thicknesses of the leather at difl'erent parts may be readilysmoothed out.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of an improved crimping plate orform applicable to crimping the fronts or uppers of boots, said viewalso showing in dotted lines a boot leg or upper in its place on saidform. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the form on the line m w.

The form represented in the drawing is constructed with flexible sidesor cheeks I), joined together or closed at the upper edge 0 of the form.This construction provides for the yielding of the cheeks or sides 12 ofthe hollow form to conform to the action of the crimping-jaws passingdown over it, and to provide for its sides being set in or out. It maybe expanded, or have its sides I) set outward to any desired extent, byintroducing between them a filling of metal or other rigid material, sothat the crimping-jaws will exert more or less draw on the leatherplaced over the form, according to the thickness of the fillingintroduced between the elastic sides of the form, and the same form andjaws may be used for different thicknesses of leather.

By using a filling, (I, of rubber or other elastic or yielding material,between the flexible sides I) of the form, the latter has an elastic andflexible quality given to it which it has long been desired to obtainfor crimping plates or forms. Such elastic or yielding form enables thecrimper to effectually smooth out the wrinkles, and in case of theleather on said form having thin or reduced parts in it, the elasticityof the form, by the use of the yielding packing or filling within it,allows the flexible sides b to yield, so that said thin parts arereached and smoothed out clean. This it has been impossible heretoforeto do by the ordinary solid form, which, moreover, has required such alarge amount of lateral pressure to be applied in smoothing out the workthat the leather has not infrequently been ruptlu'ed or otherwiseseriously injured; nor has a hollow form, as heretofore constructed,overcome the difliculty. Furthermore, by means of this elastic oryielding form, the corners e of the boot or shoe front (see dotted linesin Fig. l) are well drawn out or readily pulled down by thecrimping-jaws, owing to the shape which the form takes in yielding, andto the fact of its working thicker as the crimping-jaws pass downward,thereby enabling the crimper to get a longer corner, 0, with much lesslabor and trouble than it is possible to obtain with a solid form.

The sides I) of the form may, if desired, be provided internally withpins or projections to hold the elastic or yielding filling (l in place.

I claim- 1. The combination of an independent inte rior packing orfilling with the hollow crimping-form having flexible sides or cheeks,essentially as described.

2. An elastic or yielding crimping-form made with flexible sides orchecks, and an interposed filling of elastic or yielding material,substantially as specified.

JAMES l). BACON.

Witnesses:

HENRY '1. BROWN, FRED. HAYNES.

